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Japanese American Evacuation and Resettlement Records, 1930-1974 (Bulk 1942-1946)

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Japanese American Evacuation and Resettlement Records, 1930-1974 (Bulk 1942-1946) http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf5j49n8kh Online items available Inventory of the Japanese American Evacuation and Resettlement Records, 1930-1974 (bulk 1942-1946) Processed by Elizabeth Stephens; machine-readable finding aid created by James Lake The Bancroft Library. University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California, 94720-6000 Phone: (510) 642-6481 Fax: (510) 642-7589 Email: [email protected] URL: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/BANC/ © 1996 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Note History --World War IIHistory --History, California --GeneralSocial Sciences --Area and Interdisciplinary Studies --Asian American Studies BANC MSS 67/14 c 1 Inventory of the Japanese American Evacuation and Resettlement Records, 1930-1974 (bulk 1942-1946) Collection number: BANC MSS 67/14 c The Bancroft Library University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California Contact Information: The Bancroft Library. University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California, 94720-6000 Phone: (510) 642-6481 Fax: (510) 642-7589 Email: [email protected] URL: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/BANC/ Processed by: Elizabeth Stephens Date Completed: September 1996 Encoded by: James Lake © 1996 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Descriptive Summary Title: Japanese American Evacuation and Resettlement Records, Date (inclusive): 1930-1974 Date (bulk): (bulk 1942-1946) Collection number: BANC MSS 67/14 c Extent: Microfilm: 379 reels Originals: Number of containers: 336 boxes, 84 cartons, 36 oversize volumes (folios), 6 oversize folders Linear feet: 250.5 Repository: The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California 94720-6000 Shelf location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog. Abstract: Consists of surplus copies of U.S. War Relocation Authority documents, including publications, staff papers, reports, correspondence, memoranda, press releases, and a few photographs. Also includes material collected and/or generated by the Japanese-American Evacuation and Resettlement Study, University of California, Berkeley, including evacuee diaries and letters, and staff correspondence, reports, and studies. Language: English. Provenance The Japanese American Evacuation and Resettlement Records are comprised of two separate donations. The War Relocation Authority (WRA) designated the University of California, Berkeley library as the prime depository for WRA record materials outside the National Archives on September 7, 1945. The records of the Japanese American Evacuation and Resettlement Study (JERS) were deposited in the University Library by Dorothy Swaine Thomas, Director, in August 1948. In 1954-1955, Edward N. Barnhart integrated the two collections and created an inventory; the resulting collection was transferred to The Bancroft Library on July 3, 1963. Additions were made in October 1977 (by Conrad Taeuber, Director) and in 1988 (by Ann R. Miller) of materials recovered after Dorothy Thomas's death from her office at the Center for Population Research in Washington, D.C. BANC MSS 67/14 c 2 Funding Microfilm preservation, processing, rehousing, and the creation of a new finding aid for the collection and additions were funded by a Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA), Title III: Networking, Preservation and Statewide Resource-sharing grant from the California State Library, 1994-1996. Access The collection is open for research with the following restrictions: Microfilm is to be used instead of originals. Use of originals is permitted only by written permission of the curator. Identity of evacuees mentioned in diaries and other personal documents created by employees of the Japanese Evacuation and Resettlement Study (JERS) are protected until 2015 or the death of the person named. Such restricted materials are indicated in the finding aid by a double asterisk. Publication Rights Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Preferred Citation [Identification of Item], Japanese American evacuation and resettlement records, BANC MSS 67/14 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. Scope and Content The Japanese American Evacuation and Resettlement Records resulted from the integration of two major collections: the records of the War Relocation Authority (WRA) and the records of the Japanese American Evacuation and Resettlement Study (JERS) at the University of California, Berkeley. Edward N. Barnhart combined the two collections in 1954-1955. While the resulting combination provides an unprecedented picture of the Japanese-American evacuation, relocation, incarceration, and resettlement during World War II, the collection's size and organization is complex. For help with Barnhart's organizing principles, please read the Overview of Arrangement and the Description of Parts and Sectionsbeginning on page xi. WAR RELOCATION AUTHORITY (WRA) RECORDS The War Relocation Authority (WRA) records represent the official documentation of the United States agency created to assume jurisdiction over the Japanese and Japanese Americans evacuated from California, Oregon, and Washington by the Western Defense Command, the Fourth Army, and the Wartime Civilian Control Administration (WCCA) during January/February of 1942. During its existence from March 1942 to 1946, the WRA controlled the administration of the relocation centers, administered an extensive resettlement program, and oversaw the details of the registration and segregation programs. Included in their records are administrative files, official publications, reports and surveys, legal papers, correspondence, and occasionally, photographs and scrapbooks. Divisions and offices represented encompass the Washington, D.C. head office, Western Field Office, district and area resettlement offices, the ten relocation centers, Leupp isolation center, and the Bureau of Sociological Research. Also included are miscellaneous materials from other Federal and State agencies involved with the internment, including the Western Defense Command and WCCA. Although Bancroft's WRA records were originally thought to be duplicates of The National Archives' collection, Records of the War Relocation Authority, 1942-1946: Field Basic Documentation, the two collections are not identical. The Bancroft Library holds a copy of the National Archives (NARA) microfilm (cataloged as BANC FILM 1932). The materials in the Japanese American Evacuation and Resettlement Recordscollection have been compared with the NARA film in order to prevent microfilm duplication of documents. In cases where the National Archives film included materials in the Bancroft's collection, the container listing notes their location on the NARA film inside bold square brackets [NARA Reel __, Folder __]following the item description. The War Relocation Authority photographs were transferred to the Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft Library and are cataloged as: War Relocation Authority Photographs: Evacuation and Resettlement (BANC PIC 1967.014). The photographic collection contains approximately 7000 photographs covering pre-evacuation, evacuation, assembly centers, relocation, life in the "relocation centers," segregation, and the resettlement program. These photographs have been digitized and will be available online in the Heller Reading Room of The Bancroft Library. THE JAPANESE AMERICAN EVACUATION AND RESETTLEMENT STUDY (JERS) RECORDS The Japanese American Evacuation and Resettlement Study (JERS) was established at the University of California, Berkeley in early 1942. Directed by Dorothy Swaine Thomas, the Study monitored the sociological, political, economic, and legal BANC MSS 67/14 c 3 dimensions of the relocation program. Evacuees, hired to document their own and others' experiences, reported on both specific situations and life in general during their stays in the assembly and relocation centers. Their often extensive accounts of camp life come in the form of journals, diaries, and field reports. In addition, they compiled case histories, conducted interviews with evacuees and WRA staff, studied group behavior, and performed statistical surveys. The JERS administrative records contain extensive correspondence with field workers, staff, evacuees, and others. Throughout the collection are gatherings of primary and secondary research materials collected by Dorothy Swaine Thomas, and her staff, particularly Rosalie Hankey Wax and Morton Grodzins. These include reports, surveys, theses, and other writings. Correspondence indicates that at least two persons gave significant amounts of material to the Study. Galen M. Fisher sent Dorothy Thomas material concerning his work with Japanese American student relocation and with organizations concerned about the human rights issues surrounding internment; the Galen M. Fisher files comprise Part II, Section 13. Alexander H. Leighton sent the Study his office files from the Bureau of Sociological Research at Poston in October of 1944; the Bureau's files (formerly cataloged as BANC MSS 72/233) follow the JERS material in Part II, Section 5: Poston Relocation Center. Several separately catalogued segments of the
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